Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts

Thursday, 5 December 2024

THE RISE OF MAGICKS



The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts
Book 3 of the Chronicles of The One
Narrated by Julia Whelan
Genre: dystopian urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook



After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways. Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness — if, indeed, they can be saved.

Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans. Now she must help them heal — and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth, she has been The One, she is still only one. And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy’s stronghold, and pursues her destiny — to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all — she will need an army behind her…
Source: Info in the "About The Rise of Magicks" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263398-the-rise-of-magicks on 08/07/2020.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
The conclusion of a fantastic trilogy! Or so it is supposed to be... It did conclude the trilogy. However, the epic bang that I was expecting kind of fizzled out.

Everything I have to say about this book, I have probably said in my reviews of previous books in this series, except the non-existent bang. However, this is a Nora Roberts book, that means the story telling quality is still compelling so can't really give this book a low rating. It wasn't the great book I was expecting, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 3
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (14 hrs & 3 mins listening time)
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 4.5


Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Chronicles of The One Series:


Meet The Author

About Nora Roberts:
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 — The Becoming — the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.


The Narrator

About Julia Whelan:
Julia Whelan is a screenwriter, lifelong actor, and award-winning audiobook narrator of over 500 titles. Her performance of her own debut novel, the internationally bestselling My Oxford Year, garnered a Society of Voice Arts award. She is also a Grammy-nominated audiobook director, a former writing tutor, a half-decent amateur baker, and a certified tea sommelier.




FTC Disclosure:
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Tuesday, 5 November 2024

EMERALD BLAZE

 

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews
Book 5 of the Hidden Legacy series
Narrated by Emily Rankin
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook


About Emerald Blaze:
As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers — powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart.

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won't rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that's tearing their world apart.
Source: Info in the "About Emerald Blaze" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39909220-untitled-catalina-book on 16/06/2020.

Buy Link(s):


Rosebud
Rosebud
My Thoughts:
Tried to read this book slowly. Make it last. Savour it. I take breaks purposefully. I usually listen to audiobooks at 1.25 or 1.5 speed. At times even 2. I dialled down the listening speed to 1. I was partially successful in making it last... still too quick!

I missed the ferret heist from the previous book. But having Rosebud fed my addiction too!

I didn't see a golden lion tamarin monkey. But I did see a golden-headed lion tamarin monkey at a safari visit a long time ago.
golden-headed lion tamarin


I have questions though. If the round metallic rings with flowers growing from it is a construct made by the thing in the pit, the Abyss, why did the creatures controlled by it attacked Catalina and Linus at the start of the book? I would think that Aran would be the one with the most reason to want to kill Catalina and Linus. It turned out that neither Aran nor Cheryl controls the Abyss. So why would the Abyss want to kill Catalina and Linus then? After I read Emerald Blaze, I hoped that an answer will surface in the next book that I looked forward to reading it. I also wanted to know what other harebrained things Marat Kazarian would do after his shenanigans in the pit.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (12 hrs and 41 mins)
Plot = 5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries


Hidden Legacy Books:
BURN FOR ME Book 2: WHITE HOT Book 3: WILDFIRE Book 3.5: DIAMOND FIRE Book 4: SAPPHIRE FLAMES Book 4.1: A MISUNDERSTANDING Book 4.2: PAY ME Book 5: EMERALD BLAZE Book 5.1: COOL AUNT Book 6: RUBY FEVER


Meet The Authors

About Ilona Andrews:
Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.


The Narrator

Emily Rankin
About Emily Rankin:
Emily Rankin (previously credited as Emily Janice Card) has narrated numerous audiobooks, coauthors the manga series Laddertop, and created the popular web short Jane Austen’s Fight Club. She is a narrator of award-winning audiobooks. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three kids.




FTC Disclosure:
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

WITCH WITH A BADGE


Witch With A Badge by by TR Cameron, Martha Carr, and Michael Anderle
Book 1 in the Witch Warrior series
Narrated by Megan Trout
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


Deputy US Marshal Cait Keane is a Witch with a Badge — and a Dragon for a partner.

The Boston office tour will have to wait — her first day on the job in her new appointment is canceled to pursue a federal fugitive, a magical with a penchant for fire.

She’ll need her gun and her wand to take him down. What will her team think of having a magical on board?

When a federal judge is killed, she discovers she’s in the middle of a territorial battle between criminal organizations. The killer is a magical, or working with one, which makes Cait the perfect Marshal to take them down.

Add in a threat to her coven and life has become a lot more challenging for Cait Keane.

The US Marshal with something extra wouldn’t have it any other way.
Source: Info in the "About Witch With A Badge" was taken from amazon on 03/09/2024.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
The other thing that made me buy this book other than this book being a witch book, is the dragon in the cover art. Because I am a dragon nut and want to read more about dragons!

This book ended in a big whooping cliffhanger. And that is the main reason that this book would never, ever, get a five with me! At 252 pages long, I say this is a long novella to introduce readers to the world of Cait Keane. I say Cait Keane because the world of Oriceran was introduced to us in Waking Magic by Martha Carr and Michael Anderle. In other words, this is an off-shoot series from that one.

The world building and story telling quality is really good which is the reason that this book would never get a one with me.

Plot? What plot? But, having said that, this is urban fantasy not a crime fiction so I was not gunning for twisty plots.

This is my first Megan Trout audiobook and I would listen to her again.


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 2
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (5 hrs and 20 mins listening time)
Plot = 1
Narration = 5


Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Witch Warrior Series:
Book 0.5: A WITCH WITH SPIRIT Book 1: WITCH WITH A BADGE Book 2: WITCH WITH A GRUDGE Book 3: WITCH WITH AN ENEMY Book 4: WITCH WITH A TARGET Book 5: WITCH WITH A DRAGON Book 6: WITCH WITH A PROBLEM Book 7: WITCH WITH A CHALLENGE Book 8: WITCH WITH A CRISIS Book 9: WITCH WITH A CHOICE Book 10: WITCH WITH A CAUSE Book 11: WITCH WITH A BATTLEPLAN Book 12: WITCH WITH AN ATTITUDE Book 3: (TBC)


 
Meet The Authors

About Michael Anderle:
Michael Anderle (ok, weird talking about myself in the 3rd person) (1967-Hopefully a long time from NOW) was born in Houston, Tx. A very curious child, he got into trouble — a lot. What to do with an inquisitive mind when he was grounded? Read!

Ok, done with all of that 3rd person stuff.

In the first 20 years, I mostly read Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the last 10 years I have enjoyed Urban Fantasy and Military Fiction. With this background, I've been blessed with creating The Kurtherian Gambit series, a well-selling, and fan loved, collection of stories.

The fans have propelled these stories beyond my wildest imagination and they should get all of the credit for sharing with friends, family and occasionally the random person on the street. They are fantastic!


About Martha Carr:
Okay, I'm a late bloomer who's a big DC comics fan and spent my childhood summers on the Jersey shore in the U.S. but have had a weird wanderlust to live in different parts of America ever since. That's enough about me. Need to feel inspired today? Looking for something to make you root for an ordinary hero? I'm all about that in everything I write.

I love a good tale that makes me wonder about things and I love a story even more that leaves me feeling inspired or like I'm capable of doing more than I realized. That's my goal with everything I've ever written. Some of the stories I tell involve twisting, turning thrillers and others have a lot of magic.

There's something to be said for getting lost in another world and coming out the other side feeling a little better about yourself or the possibilities in front of you. That's basically the best part of life in a nutshell, no matter what kind of story I'm setting out to tell.


About TR Cameron:
I’m TR Cameron, Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction author. I’ve been an avid consumer of the genres since I was six, I think, when I broke the seal on my Dad’s copies of the Asimov Foundation books. Shortly after, it was Dragonlance and Drizzt. It’s been all downhill since then.

I have a day job that I love most days, and writing is pretty much my only consistent hobby. When I find time that’s not already filled with my wife, my daughter, my writing, my work, or dodging the affections of our clowder of cats, you can find me playing video games (currently Cyberpunk 2077, Avengers, and Witcher 3), watching things (Marvel movies, The Expanse, Picard), playing board games, or, naturally, reading.

My favorite authors in Sci-Fi are David Weber, Jean Johnson, John Scalzi, CJ Cherryh, and the giants: Asimov, Pohl, Bear, Heinlein, etc. I read a lot in other genres too, and am a big fan of Matthew Woodring Stover, Michael Anderle, Jim Butcher, and I could go on and on and on. If I had to choose one favorite, though, it would be Stephen R. Donaldson, whose Thomas Covenant series was transformative for me.

Probably my pie-in-the-sky dream for my writing career is that someone would make a movie or television show of my books and I could be a part of the production. Sure, unlikely, but a clowder-dodger can dream, right? My more practical dream is that I can keep writing and both entertaining and connecting with my readers for years and years to come.


The Narrator

About Megan Trout:
Megan Trout is a Bay Area–based narration, voice, and theater artist. She has been seen and heard on stage, screen, radio, and podcast. No matter what form they take, she loves stories. She loves to create detailed, tangible worlds for her and her listeners to get lost in together. Megan enjoys most genres . . . but if she had to narrow it down she'd list: terrifying thrillers, poignant fiction, true crime, historical fiction, and harrowing biographies of courageous women (in no particular order).



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.